The Porter's House
The 36oz Porter House
Located in the Waverly neighborhood of Charlotte is a steakhouse called “The Porter’s House.” I have only been once, so I cannot speak to consistency; however, the experience I had was top notch!
Unassuming, classic, diverse and delicious
Hidden gems are some of the most treasured eateries, and The Porter’s House is no exception. The restaurant is very unassuming from the outside. The inside is certainly white tablecloth, but in a newer, more modern way. Classy but more casual than a Morton’s or Capital Grille. I didn’t feel under-dressed going in dark jeans and a cozy sweater. The diverse menu offers something for everyone at a variety of price points. Appetizers run ~$14, salads ~$10, sides are ~$8, and a la carte steaks range from $38-$100. You can also order complete entrees for $26-$39.
A good meal starts with a great drink
My mother and I visited The Porter’s House while I was apartment hunting. Neither of us were starving; however, we wanted a good meal. We skipped the appetizers and went straight for the main event. I had an excellent Grey Goose Martini – extra dirty with two olives; it was one of the best I’ve had in a long time. My mother ordered a Cosmopolitan – I wouldn’t suggest ordering one here; however, the waiter was very accommodating.
Carnivore’s rejoice
We split the 36oz Prime Porterhouse ($95) – Medium Rare. On one side of the bone is a NY Strip and the other side is a filet. There was an excellent char on the outside. It was not too overpowering and revealed beautifully tender meat inside. It was cooked perfectly: just above rare. I loved that they carved the meat tableside. We received two sides: the Yukon gold mashed potatoes come standard, and then we chose the broccolini in a lemon vinaigrette as our second side. We also added a 5oz lobster tail ($18) to our meal – which was very tender and flavorful.
Sauce to top it off
The steak came with four sauces: pepper sauce (my favorite, and most similar to a traditional steak sauce), chimichurri, butter, and horseradish. I’m a huge fan.
A sweet finish
For dessert, we split a very light and fluffy cheesecake. It was very creamy, not dry, with a great cinnamon flavor that was not too much, as I can find cinnamon to be overpowering. With that said, I do wish they offered a raspberry coulis with it. That would have made the cheesecake over-the-top in my book.
Complainers gonna complain
As I always do, I read a lot of reviews before we went to The Porter’s House. To be honest, I was a bit hesitant to eat there. There were plenty of good reviews, but also quite a few negative. I’m glad I ignored them; this may sound snarky, but all of the complaints I read were easily fixable issues or people simply wanting the restaurant to be something that it is not. For example:
“Parking is difficult” – they offer complimentary valet parking.
“My steak looks small,” – order a bigger steak, or some appetizers. Steaks are weighed when raw; they shrink as they cook.
“My steak was overcooked,” – send it back. This happens all the time at high-end restaurants; the staff is VERY accommodating and constantly checked on how my meal was. I guarantee the restaurant would cook you a new steak if it was not satisfactory.
“People are under-dressed,” – why does it matter what other people are wearing? If the food is good, service is good, and décor is nice, shouldn’t that be enough? If you are trying to impress someone, food, décor, service, and price point should do that. If you want to dine out in black tie, try increasing your dinner budget to over $100 per person.
“It’s loud,” – I had no issue hearing across the table. With that said, I find most popular restaurants are pretty loud. I even think it positively contributes to the atmosphere, making it livelier and more attractive to a younger generation.
Overall, I felt like the value was great for what we ordered. There was plenty of food for my mother and me to share, AND we left with enough for me to have a 3rd meal out of the leftovers.
UPDATE:
I have been back numerous times, both prior to and during COVID, and it hasn’t quite stacked up to my first experience. Service has always remained great, and the quality of the ingredients has been great; however, execution is not always there. I’ve ordered steaks medium-rare that have come out medium-well on more than one occasion. They also took some of my favorite appetizers off the menu, and replaced with others that do not compare in terms of flavor. I’d give it a 6.5/10 now, as I don’t see the value there anymore. I’d much rather spend more and go to Steak48 now.
